Early Britain

This section covers Britain's history from the Stone Age through to the Norman Conquest of 1066 — the Romans, Anglo-Saxons, Vikings and Normans who each shaped early British society.

Stone Age, Bronze Age and Iron Age

The first people to live in Britain were hunter-gatherers of the Stone Age. For much of this period Britain was connected to the continent by a land bridge, and people came and went following the herds they hunted. Britain only became permanently separated from the continent by the Channel about 10,000 years ago.

The first farmers arrived in Britain 6,000 years ago, probably from south-east Europe. They built houses, tombs and monuments — including Stonehenge, in modern Wiltshire, likely a gathering place for seasonal ceremonies. Skara Brae on Orkney is the best-preserved prehistoric village in northern Europe and has helped archaeologists understand late Stone Age life.

Around 4,000 years ago people learned to make bronze (the Bronze Age), living in roundhouses and burying their dead in round barrows. Bronze Age people were skilled metalworkers, producing tools, ornaments and weapons in bronze and gold. The Iron Age followed, with people making weapons and tools from iron, living in roundhouses and larger settlements, sometimes defended by hill forts such as Maiden Castle in Dorset.

The Romans

Julius Caesar's invasion in 55 BC failed, and Britain stayed outside the Roman Empire for nearly 100 years. In AD 43, Emperor Claudius led a successful invasion. Boudicca, queen of the Iceni, led resistance against the Romans — she's commemorated with a statue on Westminster Bridge in London.

Scotland was never conquered by the Romans. Emperor Hadrian built a wall across the north of England to keep out the Picts. Parts of Hadrian's Wall, including the forts of Housesteads and Vindolanda, survive today as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The Romans stayed 400 years, building roads and public buildings, creating a structure of law, and introducing new plants and animals. The first Christian communities appeared in Britain during the 3rd and 4th centuries AD.

The Anglo-Saxons

The Roman army left Britain in AD 410 and never returned. New invaders — the Jutes, Angles and Saxons — arrived from northern Europe; their languages form the basis of modern English. By about AD 600, Anglo-Saxon kingdoms were established across what is now England, while much of Wales and Scotland remained free of Anglo-Saxon rule.

The Anglo-Saxons were not originally Christian, but missionaries converted them: St Patrick and St Columba spread Christianity from Ireland in the north, while St Augustine led missionaries from Rome in the south and became the first Archbishop of Canterbury.

The Vikings

Vikings from Denmark and Norway first raided Britain in AD 789, later settling in the east of England and Scotland. King Alfred the Great united the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms and defeated the Vikings, though many stayed on in an area known as the Danelaw. Some Viking place names, like Grimsby and Scunthorpe, survive today. In the north, the threat of Viking attack pushed people to unite under King Kenneth MacAlpin — this is when the term "Scotland" began to be used.

The Norman Conquest

In 1066, William, Duke of Normandy, defeated King Harold at the Battle of Hastings — the last successful foreign invasion of England. William became king, known as William the Conqueror. The battle is commemorated in the Bayeux Tapestry, a nearly 70-metre embroidered cloth still on display in France.

The Conquest reshaped English government and society; Norman French heavily influenced the development of the English language. William also commissioned the Domesday Book, a survey of towns, villages, landowners and livestock across England — it still exists today as a snapshot of post-Conquest society.

Check That You Understand

• The history of the UK before the Romans
• The impact of the Romans on British society
• The different groups that invaded after the Romans left
• The importance of the Norman invasion in 1066